|dis+ noun
Etymology: Middle English discontinuaunce, from dis- (I) + continuaunce continuance — more at continuance
1. : the act or an instance of discontinuing the use or practice of
there were no automobiles to cause a discontinuance of walking — Morris Fishbein
an appeal for the discontinuance of the electoral college
: the state of being discontinued
discontinuance of dueling had changed the pattern of German university life
: cessation , shutdown , closure
a discontinuance of bus service between the two towns
the site of the state fair until its recent discontinuance
almost 40 percent of small business discontinuances involve simply a change of ownership — Nation's Business
: interruption
an intercourse renewed after many years' discontinuance — Jane Austen
2. obsolete : temporary absence
3.
[Middle English discontinuaunce, from Anglo-French, from Middle French dis-, des- dis- (I) + continuance — more at continuance ]
a. : a breaking off or interruption of an estate upon an alienation made especially by a tenant in tail of a larger estate than he was entitled to
b. : the termination of an action by the failure of the plaintiff to properly continue it or by the entry of a discontinuing order on his motion — compare dismiss vt 4b
c. : the interruption of the proceedings in an action that follows where a party does not answer all the material allegations of the previous pleading and the opposite party fails to take judgment for the part unanswered